1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pedals used for stepping downwardly thereon to control the braking and orientation of a hospital bed respectively, and a returning pedal disposed between the two pedals for disabling the functions of braking or orientation.
2. Description of the Related Art
The assignee of the present invention has a patent “Braking Apparatus for Hospital Bed” with Taiwanese Application No. 095204622 and Taiwanese Patent No. TW296695Y. The apparatus is mainly comprised of wheel modules that are free to change direction and are disposed at the four corners of the chassis of a movable hospital bed. Two axial shafts are respectively disposed between the two adjacent wheel modules at the front and the rear ends of the hospital bed. By turning the axial shaft in different directions and at various angles, the braking of the wheel module will be active or inactive, or at least one wheel module will be unable to change direction (i.e. of a fixed direction). The structure driving the axial shafts at the front and the rear ends comprise two pairs of swing shafts fixedly disposed respectively on the shafts. A linkage is pivotally connected between the ends of the swing shafts at the front and the rear ends. A control swing shaft is further fixedly disposed on the axial shaft at one of the two ends. An operation rack (i.e. the pedal for braking the wheel module or fixing the direction thereof) that can swing upwardly or downwardly is pivotally disposed on the chassis at the same end. A coupler is pivotally connected between the control swing shaft and the operation rack. The operation rack swings at various angles and positions upwardly and downwardly and drives the axial shafts to turn at various angles through the coupler and the control swing shaft. Not only is the braking and orientation of a hospital bed controlled, but, also, the swing angle of the operation rack is substantially reduced to conform to better ergonomics and easier operation for the user. The operation is more convenient, and dangerous situations such as slipping during operation occur less frequently.
However, in the prior art mentioned above or for general hospital beds, the operation rack (i.e. pedal) for braking and orientation swings downwardly to brake the hospital bed and upwardly to fix the orientation. That is, the operation rack can be used both for braking and orientation. Although the structure is simple, the following issues need to be improved.
First, a common user is used to operating an apparatus in a straightforward and easy way. The operation rack (i.e. pedal) for braking and orientation of a hospital bed does not adhere to such habits. When controlling the orientation of a hospital bed, the operation rack needs to be pulled upwardly. Such operation does not conform to good ergonomics and may cause dangerous reactions.
Second, the operation rack is disposed below the hospital bed. The design is for the convenience of operation by a user's foot. When the operation rack is stepped on downwardly, the hospital bed performs braking. When the operation rack is hooked upwardly, the hospital bed fixes the orientation thereof. However, when hooking the operation rack upwardly, the surface of the shoe is against the back of the operation rack, and the user raises his foot to make the operation rack swing upwardly. Although the operation is done, the surface of the shoe becomes worn, and the user wants to avoid this.